A heartbreaking account has emerged from the family of former Niger State education chief, Alhassan Bawa Niworo, detailing the agonising months he allegedly spent in the captivity of the extremist group Boko Haram.
His sister, Hajiya Kulu Niworo, said the family was pushed to the brink of ruin while desperately trying to secure his freedom.
“We sold everything, took bank loans and paid ₦30 million,” she recounted. “But after that, they demanded another ₦150 million. We had nothing left to eat.”
According to her, the kidnappers repeatedly subjected the former official to brutal threats and violence during the six-month ordeal.
“Every time they called, we pleaded with them in the name of Allah and the Prophet (S.A.W). Yet they beat him and put a knife to his throat, threatening to kill him,” she said.
The emotional testimony has stirred fresh concern over the worsening security situation across parts of northern Nigeria, where kidnappings and insurgent abductions have continued to devastate families and communities.
Security analysts warn that what was once unimaginable — prolonged captivity and crippling ransom demands by insurgents — is increasingly becoming a grim reality for many households across the region.
